Dave East Joins Mass Appeals “Open Space”

Harlem’s own Dave East stopped by the Mass Appeal studios to discuss his Def Jam debut “Paranoia:A True Story“.

The interview begins with Dave explaining why he titled the project “Paranoia“,“My lifestyle just changed dramatically over the last year,” East tells Mass Appeal. “I’m from the streets and I’m used to being at the bottom and seeing people gettin’ it. So now I’m on that other side and it kinda got me watching my back and really keeping an eye on my surroundings and the people I bring around me. I try to keep that circle tight.”

“It’s a spooky feeling,” East explains. “I’ve had two of my closest people to me get murdered in the last four years. It just be shit in my mind. But it be so much more positive shit going on that overshadows it, but that thought is still there, so I named it Paranoia.”

With the many ongoing styles in today’s hip hop Dave is under constant pressure to conform to the current popular trends in the genre, Dave East refuses to be put in a box although. And while he’s happy to be working with artist such as Nas, Jeezy, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, and Chris Brown, he feels a responsibility to represent for NYC rap fans. “People wanna hear that New York shit. They wanna hear the streets. They wanna hear the grimy, the pain. No matter how much that crossover record is needed, people be wanting to hear certain shit from me, cause you can’t get it from too many people no more.” The secret, as he explains, is balance.